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Monday, January 5, 2015

Kill la Kill Final Impression(Repost)

Kill la Kill is the most hyped up anime in the last fall and winter anime season and for a good reason too. I've watched it up to episode 11 and decided to go on a break for 2 months before picking it up again and I was not disappointed. (This post is a repost from my old blog, it is reposted by my friend's request)

The show starts up like an "enemy/monster of the week" show where the main character fight and defeat different foes with different powers each week. At the mid point of the series the plot, although still somewhat cliched, manages to still entertain and shock the viewers from the beautifully executed scenes. And I'd have to say, even if most of the plot are predictable it is really done in such a way that I enjoy it a lot.

The jokes are entertaining and I find the characters pretty interesting in a way. My favorite character would be Satsuki because she is just a really good character who is very charismatic. The others, like Gamagoori, Nonon and Mako are also pretty interesting.

The main problem that people have with Kill la Kill is the fanservice. They say that it was too much and it would be so much better without it. Well, I will tell you now that I also usually despise excessive fanservice in anime. Heck I dropped stuff like Queen's Blade, Highschool DxD and Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku naritai! because of fanservice. But the fanservice in Kill la Kill is there for a different purpose rather than just to titillate the viewers.

They are there because it is relevant to the plot. and yes, I do realize that having the fanservice relevant to the plot does not suddenly make it "not fanservice" but this very fact makes it really easy to breeze through the fanservice scenes after you get through the first few episodes. And again, as I said, the fanservice are mostly there not to titillate, they are there because they are supposed to be there and you will see later on in the plot why these clothes are designed the way they are.

Aside from that, the male characters got their share of nudity and fanservice moments as well. The anime acknowledges this and they joke around with the whole idea of fanservice. There are of course "actual fanservice" but they are less frequent. There are a few scenes that disturbs me a bit, especially ones involving Kiryuin Ragyou but there are only 2-3 of such scenes in the anime(those who have seen the show should know which scenes I am talking about).

I know that some will not care about that and choose to not watch Kill la Kill because of it and that is fine. But if you can keep an open mind and not focus on the fanservice while focusing on the show as a whole, I assure you that you will find a really fun and entertaining show with just the right amount of comedy and action.

As I said, the first half of the show is somewhat slow and might make people lose interest. Within episode 1-11 the show offers you the usual Shounen anime content, with loads of comedy and over the top action, Trigger-style. Starting at the end of Episode 11 things start to go up and it does not stop.

The show got a lot of hype from the anime community and it deserves its hype as each and every episode from Episode 11 onward delivers exactly what the viewers wanted from the show. Over the top action, comedy and plot twists that while somewhat predictable, will still shock you with how it was brilliantly executed.

The animation quality varied wildly with the first episode showing very high quality animation and later episodes with scrolling cameras on a still picture. However, Trigger have cleverly set the style of the anime in such a way that these scenes still fit with the whole anime's style. While some people call it "lazy", I call it" clever use of what they have". With Kill la Kill, Trigger really shows us what they can do with limited budget and I am really looking forward to what they can do with more funding.

The Soundtrack for Kill la Kill was just amazing. Even those who hate or dislike the anime have said that they like the OST as it does give the anime its epic feel. And while some of the OST are used too much I feel that it doesn't really annoy me or make it feel repetitive. And seriously, how can one hate such epic music asKiryu ga Kill,BlumenkranzorBefore My Body Is Dry? You just don't.

Now, of course this anime isn't without its weaknesses. There are some characters that are shown to be somewhat important early on only to be shoved aside as gag characters later on. Or a certain important tool that would never be mentioned again even until the end of the anime. Although I guess that could just be a red herring thrown in to confuse the viewers(I really doubt it as the whole show doesn't really have a very complex plot in the first place).

The importance of Mako as a gag character in the plot also annoys some viewers but I feel it is still acceptable within the show. it is clear since episode 1 that Mako is that kind of character and every episode since have shown Mako as someone who is silly but is effective in calming Ryuuko down. It might seem like it is overused, but the whole thing with Mako is still acceptable to me. People even like Mako because of it.

Overall, Kill la Kill was a really enjoyable experience for me. The epicness that is the second half of the show overshadowed the slow first half and I do believe all the hype is warranted. While of course as with every show it is not for everyone, do give it a shot and I assure you that it'll be a very fun ride.